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We all have fears, at least at one point or another, of putting ourselves out there. Especially when you want to create something and put it out into the world. Here are my top four tips on getting over this fear so you can bring your creative ideas to fruition.

Tip #1. What’s the worst that can happen?

Truthfully ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen if I create my idea and put it out into the world?” Usually the outcome isn’t as bad as wondering, “What if?” years from now if you dropped the idea.

Tip #2. Do your research

Doing your research first to see if there are actually people out there interested in the solution or idea you are working on can either save yourself a lot of time and energy, or encourage you to move on with the idea. Check how many people are searching for similar topics on Google using the Google keyword tool. Take a look around on Amazon or other websites to see if there are books or classes on the subject.

Tip #3. Check in with your peeps

Get in touch with some real people who may be interested in what you are creating. Are they excited about the idea? Do you get good feedback on social media when you talk about this topic?

Tip #4. Take your first step

If you’ve gotten some good feedback on your idea, its time to take that first step in creating your idea. The first step is always the hardest. But in taking that first step, you will gain the courage to finish it.

Everyone has fears, but as long as you take the steps to move past it, you can do anything!

Have you ever had fears about creating something and putting it out into the world? Tell us your story in the comments below!

Ask anyone what their fears are, and why they’re afraid and you’ll get a wide variety of answers. But in the end, if you dig deep enough, most of those fears have a core common misbelief.

Are you scared of failure? Do you procrastinate putting your art into the world because you fear rejection? Do you not give it your all because you’re scared you may not be able to handle the success? Do you fear being broke?

If you look closely at these fears, you may notice a common thread. They all potentially stem from the belief that you aren’t good enough.

…but you are.

You are good enough, because you are whole.

You are perfect just the way you are.

In fact, you are full of infinite possibilities.

So stop focusing on the one question, “What if I fail?” or “What will go wrong?“

And ask yourself, “What if I succeed? What if this is what I am meant to do?“

Can you really sit back and ignore those callings if these possibilities exist?

Go forth and reach for those dreams. Believe in yourself. Only then will you be living your life, whether you succeed or not.

As a gift for you today, I have created the above image as a free printable download. Click HERE to download it, and display it as a reminder that you are full of possibilities!

I have found myself saying this quite often lately. Once a piece of art I’m working on starts to take shape, and I like how it’s looking… I freeze up and get scared.

What if I mess it up? What if I ruin this lovely piece?

I try to remind myself, is it really a lovely piece if it sits unfinished, hidden away on a shelf? Of course not.

What’s the point of having piles of unfinished pieces? Where’s the rush feeling of accomplishment? Of being proud? Where’s the excitement of “what’s going to happen next?” You rob yourself of all of these things when you give in to the fear of messing up your work.

Sure, it’s possible a piece can get “ruined” by making a wrong decision. But the beauty of “messing up” gives you the freedom to keep working on it, which opens you up to taking more chances you might not have otherwise taken. And in the end, most often than not you end up liking the piece even more than before the mistake.

The key is to just enjoy the process, and detach from the outcome.

Remember that one of the biggest reasons for art is to feel connected to yourself, to express yourself; not to crank out perfect pieces on a consistent basis. Where’s the fun in that?

And if in the end you do feel like you’ve “ruined” a piece, let it rest. Come back to it a few days later, and most times you will find that it really isn’t as bad as you may have thought. You may even turn out liking it!

Because in reality, it’s not that you messed it up, or that you ruined something; it’s only that it turned out different than what you had hoped for or imagined it to be.

Life can be pretty scary. Things can turn out differently than expected not only in art, but in other parts of our life as well. So, this one little pesky question will always keep popping up: “What if I make the wrong decision?” Well, you deal with it and move on. And more than likely what does come of it is way more interesting and fun than if you had just stayed put in fear.

But if you let it, that pesky question can paralyze you from achieving anything in life. So instead of hiding in fear when your mind asks you “What if I make the wrong decision”, try responding with: “What could I miss out on if I stop here and don’t move on?“

Sometimes it’s loud, staring you right in the face, making your heart pump out of your chest; and other times it’s quiet, hiding behind excuses, making you feel miserable.

Most times you aren’t even aware of its existence.

But if left unattended, unconscious fears can cause self sabotage, stopping you from ever achieving your dreams and goals.

You already know, that in order to overcome your fears, you must face them. But before you can face them, you need to discover what they are and understand the different types of fears that can manifest inside of you. There are three types of fears to look out for:

External Fear

When you think of fear, thoughts of spiders, ghosts (a big one for me!), or other hauntingly things may come to mind. Or perhaps you’re scared of something like heights or water. These obvious fears, where the emotion is triggered by specific instances or encounters outside of you, are easy to recognize in your life. But other fears are not so easily targeted…

Internal Fear

Similar to external fears, an internal fear can be triggered by events happening around you. However, internal fears are not specific to one certain circumstance (like how your fear of spiders would only come up when you encounter a spider). An internal fear, like for example the fear of failure, can come up in many different situations such as when wanting to start your own business, try out a new craft, or when trying to lose weight.

In addition, these types of fear can also arise with internal thought of the circumstance as opposed to having it right in front of you. These fears are led by emotion, whereas external fears are more led by survival instincts. Some other examples of internal fears could be fear of rejection, fear of not being good enough, fear of success (yes, this does happen!), or fear of being vulnerable.

Subconscious Fear

A subconscious fear is rooted deep down inside of you, and is usually attached to some sort of limiting belief about yourself or the world around you. For example, you may have a fear of public speaking because you believe that you aren’t good at expressing yourself. Or perhaps you keep putting off submitting your art to your favorite magazine because deep down you believe you aren’t good enough.

Because these fears coincide with beliefs, they are often very hard to recognize as fears. But by living with these beliefs and fears, you are limiting your life’s potential and they can also cause serious anxiety.

Now that we’ve shed some light on the different types of fears that may be plaguing you, let’s just go ahead and let it all out… right here, right now.

Bare all – What are your deepest fears?

Okay, fine. I’ll go first.

For me, it’s always been fear of failure. Failure in my business, failure as a mother, and failure in my relationships with my husband, friends, and family. And even though I’ve dug deeper and discovered the limiting belief behind it (more on that another day), I still struggle with procrastination and avoidance because of it. Just look at me… Here I am, 9:39pm Thursday night, trying to finish up this blog post. Nothing says fear and procrastination like waiting until the last minute to publish a blog post exposing your fears. Ha.

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About Kristal

Kristal is a creative life coach who helps women reclaim their creative magic, reconnect with their Soul, and realize their innate magnificence so they can lead a more authentic, fulfilling life. Click here to read more...